Mayhew says Lions won’t shy away from players who have used marijuana

Posted by Mike Florio on April 19, 2012, 4:44 PM EDT

Getty Images

Despite recent marijuana-related incidents involving the team’s top two draft picks in 2011 (Nick Fairley and Mikel Leshoure), the Detroit Lions won’t be shying away from players with marijuana in their past.

Lions G.M. Martin Mayhew explained the team’s position on Thursday.

“The league has really changed over the years,” Mayhew said, via Anwar Richardson of MLive.com. “If you go back 10, 15 years ago, and a guy had a positive test, that was a big deal. That was something to be very concerned about. It still is, but not at the level it was years ago. There are certain things we want to hear from guys. There are certain things we don’t want to hear from guys. It doesn’t help us to tell you [media] what those things are.”

The main thing teams want to hear from players who have marijuana in their history is that, if push comes to shove, they’ll stop using it. As mentioned earlier today, many teams care about marijuana use only to the extent that the player ends up being unable to play due to repeated positive tests, and the suspensions that inevitably arise. (As former Buccaneers and Colts coach Tony Dungy explained last year on PFT Live, some teams aren’t so quick to overlook illegal drug use.)

The other reality is that, for all the players who get in trouble for using marijuana in college, plenty more of them don’t get in trouble for it. Dumping players from draft boards simply because they got caught will disqualify a team from landing talented players who, once they realize the stakes, will put down the bong and never look back.

I understand “second-and third-and fourth chances”/ not wanting to pass up very talented players/etc. But what about players who test positive @ the scouting combine?? These athletes know, without a doubt, they’ll be drug tested. Yet there are always a handful of guys who smoke anyway. Isn’t that kind of like them thumbing their noses @ the NFL and it’s substance abuse rules? Can’t the teams insert some kind of clause in the contract where the player will be financially penalized (beyond lost $$ from missed games due to suspensions) if they test positive? They need to figure something out, because as things stand now….players will continue to light up.

nebster21 says:Apr 19, 2012 5:24 PM

yeah because than they would have to shy away from anyone with talent.

QUOTE: *Legion* says:
Apr 19, 2012 5:25 PM
If you’re going to drag young men away from California and Texas and Florida and make them live in Detroit, you’re going to have to give them *something* to tolerate it.
———————————————

Legion rich people don’t live in Detroit period. They live in Birmingham, West Bloomfield, and Bloomfield Hills. Look up the google maps there and you’ll see mansions bigger than your Walmart and lakes that look like Oceans compared to the ponds you play in.

Look, i am a Rams fan and i give Detriot alot of credit for not being a ignorant team. By that i mean c’mon….weed….a drug?….cmon….your gonna pass on a sure thing in Janoris Jenkins because he smaokes weed. Who doesn’t? He just got caught. Look at Ricky Williams. He was never a problem with the NFL or the law but we gotta judge him because of weed?? wow, i cant believe as a society we still view weed as evil. No one ever says anything regarding a real drug in Alchohol. I guess it’s ok to be an alchoholic with all the crap that comes with it(DEATH,DUI,POISONING,VIOLENCE,STUPIDITY,ECT>) But if you smoke one hit of weed (which will come out positivein a test)..you are a danger. O’h what a stupid society we can have at times….Lets Draft a drunk instead.

“Some people drink beer or wine because they like the taste. They have no desire to be drunk or even buzzed.

How many smoke weed for the same reason? That is why weed is illegal and alcohol is not.”

That is funny because there are tons of different kinds of weed and people love it lmao terrible point there….. its illegal because the government makes more money of of it being illegal. Hello…

yooperman says:Apr 19, 2012 6:56 PM

What happens if a player’s doctor writes a prescription for medical marijuana? Does that make it a legal pain killer? Wouldn’t it be the same as a doctor giving a player a prescription for a codeine based pain killer?

I totally agree with u bruh–these guys smoke a lil bud and people look down on them simply because it’s illegal but alcohol is waaaay worse but it’s all good cause u can walk into a store and buy it I call BS becaus what’s the worst a person high on weed do….eat all ur food or take a nice nap or laugh at things that may not b so funny but how bout a person that’s drunk…..wrecks cars and kill someone in process, gets in fights, makes decisions they don’t even remember the next day. Yea I’ll take weed any day and anyone who does not agree with me is very very close minded. So with that said yes I will take Janoris if he is still there because he simply is the best cover corner in the draft and we need one BAAAAAD!!!!

Bears, Packers, & Vikings thank you. By all means employ that policy. The more high draft picks you have that are too dumb to put down the pipe, the more stars you’ll have unavailable on game day due to suspensions. Brilliant policy there, Mayhew. Way to be a leader & teach the kids! Is it any wonder Detroit looks like it does? I guess if you’re high all the time you don’t care or don’t notice. Seriously though, if Mayhew really wants to make a statement, he’ll put the Lions’ money where his mouth is. There is no rule stating the Lions can’t reimburse players for money lost during league imposed suspensions for failed drug tests. Don’t hold your breath.

Weed is a joke….Alcohol kills way way way way more people every year…but its ok because its legal. lol Same with cigarettes, but that’s ok too right? Also, if you go to the drugstore and buy a bottle of aspirin ….. and you take 12 of them at once, it will be your last headache. When have you ever heard of someone overdosing on Marijuana????? I’ll tell you…Never! Cuz it doesn’t happen that’s why. Someone wicked high may look dead but in an hour they’ll just wake up and eat everything in the kitchen…..what a world we live in folks…..I’ll leave ya with this one.

“Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere.” – George Washington, U.S. President quote on Hemp

Also love the fact that my post is too crazy for this comment board and keeps getting deleted….so much for freedom of speech too huh??? Or someone just can’t handle my point of view